It's Vince Carter’s time to shine for Orlando Magic

They are a perfunctory warm-up act for a team looking at a Much Bigger Picture.

It says a lot about both franchises that Dwight Howard has missed significant chunks of both games, yet the Magic are up, 2-0, after a 92-77 victory at Amway Arena on Wednesday night.

This series should be over in five.

But not before players are judged, unfairly or not, on the carry-on baggage they drag into the playoffs.

We know the deal with Carter: Extremely talented individual player, spotty record with the team concept thing, a veteran looking for a championship ring after years of disappointments with other people and places.

This first round NBA playoff series started as badly as it could for him.

Only four shots went in; the other 15 bounced here, there and everywhere. Vinsanity indeed, but only in the different context.

A lot of folks justifiably judged Carter harshly after his 4-19 effort in Game 1 of the playoff series against the Bobcats. But he wasn't among the crowd of dissidents while watching game film on Monday.

He watched each shot. Every single clunker. Then vowed to be better.

His 19 points, on 5 of 10 shooting, was a solid rebuttal. The five Magic starters scored in the teens, reflective of balanced scoring. That's a good thing, Just ask Stan Van Gundy.

"I didn't feel any different," Carter said. "I just let the game come to me, and when time permits, be aggressive."

Carter doesn't need to score 50 every night. But 4-for-19s aren't acceptable, not for a player at his level.

Given two days to think about it, Carter came out Wednesday a little on the passive side.

He selected his shots carefully, not callously. His first shot, a baseline jumper, bounced in and out. He then made a strong drive to the basket, but his shot was blocked. Finally, he slithered in for a bouncy layup with 3:32 left in the first half for his first field goal. His play improved in the second half by going with the conventional pick-me-up when things are going badly for shooters: take it inside.

"I didn't want to force anything," Carter said. "Coach got mad at me because there was a couple of open shots that he felt I passed up, but in the second half I started to be more aggressive and get closer to the basket and put it in the hole if possible."

The good news for the Magic is that they don't need Vinsanity to reign to beat the Bobcats. Charlotte can't match up against the Magic consistently. They have no counter-punch for Orlando's inside-outside game, even when Howard is sitting on the bench thinking about the consequences of his actions, or perhaps wishing that all NBA referees go swimming with the fishes _ in deep water _ sometime very soon.

They hung around Wednesday night, close enough to tease Magic fans into a false sense of concern. No worries.

But Carter only has one get-out-of-jail free card. Every other team coming up, likely starting with the Atlanta Hawks, ups the ante and the pressure on Carter and everyone else.

There won't be as many mulligans, both for Carter, and Howard, who needs to keep his composure no matter how badly he perceives the injustices of the refs' tweets.

There's no crying come the NBA playoffs. This is championship time. Those are the expectations in Orlando.

Mr. Carter, once the dunk master extraordinaire, needs to make sure he is suddenly isn't scared of flying.